TMAD is supporting the farmer’s family for monthly provisions (Rs. 5,000 per month) from Jan, 2016. Special thanks to Venkateswarlu Sir (Science Teacher @ ZPHS, Bhallanpally) for talking to local shop keepers to arrange groceries monthly.

Our volunteer Naveen reached farmer’s village without much difficulty, but identifying the family was little tough, as we hardly come with the first & last name of the dead person, and they might be calling that family/person with a different name locally. However, we were able to find the right family and walked into this house without knowing what we were going to see/face. A middle aged woman comes out of this dilapidated, mud-walled, 2 room hut. This is really the old fashioned hut, with ceiling falling apart, they tied it together with some made-up tarpaulin.

When farmer was alive, they used to have a few goats, and they were managing life with those goats and 1 acre of land they have, in common with their ancestral family. With an ambition of having a better life and have their kids educated, farmer took 5 acres of land on lease (Rs. 5000 per acre). This leased land doesn’t have any water source, so does his own land. He cultivated his own land as well as the leased land with Cotton& Maize crops.He had to borrow money for input costs, and the yield was not productive, year-on-year, and incurred losses for 3 consecutive years. Farmer used to get loans from the local private lenders. He realized that he ended up with 3 lakhs in private loans to clear. No Bank loans, all private loans only with an interest rate of 24 – 30%.

Meanwhile, famer’s wife met with an accident (by RTC bus) and has been admitted in NIMS for almost a year. She became handicapped completely, with this accident. She was not able to work, whereas she used to support her husband in their farm as well as, she used to go for ram labor work in the village. RTC did not pay any compensation for her injuries, and family incurred hospital expenses for Rs. 3 Lakhs (which was paid by her parents), on top of it, she became permanently handicapped. After she discharged, by looking at the family situation and looking at the loans, the farmer consumed pesticide at bus stand and died there itself. Police filed FIR as farmer committed suicide.

Currently, family cultivating cotton in their own land of 1 acre. This farm work is done by their son (studying Intermediate). He goes to the college on & off, and does agriculture, and also farm labor work to support the family. Their daughter (studying 9th class) also does farm labor work during weekends and holidays. Since their mother cannot walk and work, these 2 kids are looking after the family.

Though the case was booked by the police and post-mortem was done on the body, no such reports are available with the family. Family did not have any clue on the government’s compensation (according to G.O. 421) and they never followed-up with the authorities. She cannot go to the government offices, their son cannot leave either work or college (he is already triple working) to go around the offices and find out about compensation details.

Now, family has no proper home, the hut they have drips when it is raining outside, they are trying to do some patch-up to protect themselves. She was crying all through the conversation and controlling herself. Private lenders are asking to repay the loans, these people have nothing left to repay. They are struggling to survive on the widow pension she receives. On top of it, this year’s cotton crop failed miserably and they cannot even recover the investment they made within that 1 acre.

She was begging for some help to fix their home, and some help to relieve themselves from the private lenders, and she is already worried about their daughter getting to the age of marriage. They are in a helpless situation. Some external help is needed immediately.

Volunteers promised the family to follow-up with authorities and see if they can get help with new G.O. that Telangana government has brought in. Also, another kid died in the same accident that she had injuries, that kid’s family received compensation from RTC, as they approached the court and lawyers fought for their case. Similarly, if there is anyone who can take up her case and get compensation for injuries, and permanent loss of work, that would help the family significantly.